It doesn't surprise me. Those people that do that hand waving gesture, the one that says "come on out from waiting at that stop sign, it's ok, cut in front of me while I block all the rest of the cars" while the traffic is wizzing by from behind on the right. There are concentrations of them in CT, MA & RI. And when they do this it makes them feel good and "courteous", (even though they are risking getting rammed from behind or t-boning the victim who comes out from that stop sign) so good in fact some of them keep track and feel they can cut off the same number of drivers later the same day. And the ones who swerve in the opposite direction before they make their turn. And gabbing on the phone constantly. And speeding, tailgating, like I said I am not surprised.

Nor me. I lived in Connecticut briefly in the early '80s and there is no indication things have changed. The truly dreadful driving in Connecticut is a very big reason I decided not to stay. If you want to get rich in Connecticut (as opposed to starting out rich in NYC and buying a place in CT), open a body shop.

By the way, the states are ranked from least number of crashes to the most. So number 50 is actually the state with greatest number of bad drivers per capita (xx out of every 50 drivers)

Living in Connecticut I'm not surprised we are in the No. 50 spot. The roads are horrible. I-95 is more a regional highway than an Interstate. The exits and entrances on the Merrit (RT 15) are out of the 1930's. No one pays any attention to the "No Turn on Red" signs. Running red lights is a major past time. The volume of traffic is way beyond the capacity of the roads. The I-91/I-95 intersection is the worst in the nation. Mass transit is difficult to implement in a state that is basically one big suburb. Trains are only good if you are going to NYC. Could continue, but what's the point.

Yeah; I agree it's more than mere population density. It's attitude and actions that are different. Connecticut (and MA and RI) drivers simply have less regard for law and for other drivers. It may be that the population density causes this, but it's far from the one simple answer.

Connecticut (and MA and RI) drivers simply have less regard for law and for other drivers.

Reminds me of a little gem I first heard way back in college: "New York drivers don't care if they die; Boston drivers don't care if they kill you." Harsh, mebbe, but it does sort of sum up the differences in style....

(Full disclosure: I live in the greater NYC area and the person who told me that maxim was a Boston-area native.. )

Yeah; I agree it's more than mere population density. It's attitude and actions that are different. Connecticut (and MA and RI) drivers simply have less regard for law and for other drivers. It may be that the population density causes this, but it's far from the one simple answer.

Driving in the NYC burbs of CT and RI is definitely on the hyper side of reality, but the information on the website indicates that they are the safest states to drive in. In my humble opinion, the presented statistics have more to do with the speed of the crash (open roads = higher speeds) and elapsed time between the crash/arrival of EMT's/arrival at the hospital. In both cases, a rural sitting is a disadvantage.

BTW, I speak as one of those people that has chosen to live in the middle of nowhere.

It's not the Merrit Parkway or any other bad road or intersection. We all have to deal with infrastructure issues and suburban sprawl. It's ignorance and arrogance, combined. Right of way issues are misunderstood and the classic I'm important - you're not philosophy, that's why I have to be in front of you, on my phone, and making illegal turns . . . . Big clusters of this in CT/RI/MA. Pay attention if you have to drive here. They are unbelievable!

It's not the Merrit Parkway or any other bad road or intersection. We all have to deal with infrastructure issues and suburban sprawl. It's ignorance and arrogance, combined. Right of way issues are misunderstood and the classic I'm important - you're not philosophy, that's why I have to be in front of you, on my phone, and making illegal turns . . . . Big clusters of this in CT/RI/MA. Pay attention if you have to drive here. They are unbelievable!

The Merritt itself is a very pretty highway. The sweeping turns in the southern section and on the Hutch in NY are great fun in a Bimmer or my wife's Mini. However this road was one of the first divided highways in the country. Many of the entrances have stop signs making it difficult to merge with the oncoming traffic. For some exits a tap on the brakes is necessay while still on the highway or you are going to need all the DSC you car can muster. While a few entrances and exits have been upgraded, most are not. If you are just passing through enjoy the truck-free ride, otherwise local knowledge, especially in the winter, is helpful. I have gone agricultural a couple of times a couple of times on exits in the winter when the road was pretty good, but the off-ramp still slick. Fortunately there were no guard rails just a lot of grass.

Reminds me of a little gem I first heard way back in college: "New York drivers don't care if they die; Boston drivers don't care if they kill you." Harsh, mebbe, but it does sort of sum up the differences in style....

Yep, went to school in Boston. Driving on Rt 3 was always an adventure.